The Inspector General of the Border Security Force in the Jammu Frontier said Tuesday that the BSF was maintaining the “highest possible vigil” along the International Border and that Operation Sindoor is continuing as “Pakistan cannot be trusted”.
IG Shashank Anand told journalists in that “robust surveillance systems” were being put up for heightened vigil along the border and that the BSF was not letting its guard down in the aftermath of the ceasefire earlier this month following days of cross-border hostilities between India and Pakistan.
“There were inputs that the enemy may plan some mischief, like cross-border firing or infiltration, but we are ready and vigilant, and a high degree of operational preparedness has been maintained all along the border,” he said.
During the cross-border shelling from Pakistan, the BSF foiled several infiltration attempts along the border, involving 40-50 terrorists, with pre-emptive strikes, the IG said. “Our pre-emptive strikes inflicted heavy losses on the adversary, forcing them to retreat,” he said.
On the BSF’s response to Pakistan after the April 22 terror attack that killed 26 civilians in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Anand said, “We took aggressive postures along the Line of Control and the International Border in Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu.” He said that BSF stayed on the front foot while Pakistan Rangers remained confined to their posts.
As part of its response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India on May 7 carried out Operation Sindoor, striking terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This was followed by days of cross-border shelling by Pakistan.
Between May 9 and 10, Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing on BSF posts in the Akhnoor sector. “We responded by hitting the Lashkar-e-Toiba launch pad at Loni. Multiple terror launch pads were destroyed, including those at Loni, Mastpur and Chabbra, falling opposite Akhnoor, Samba and R S Pura sectors,” he said.
BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chitterpal Singh said Pakistan also used drones and other weapons to target civilians in border villages like Abullian. “We responded by hitting around 72 Pakistani posts and 47 forward posts,” he said, adding that several posts, bunkers and towers across the border were destroyed.
IG Anand said three BSF personnel were killed when Pakistan used low-flying drones to drop payloads on BSF posts.
“We are proposing to name one post in Samba sector after Operation Sindoor and two others after the martyrs,” he said.
He also lauded the women personnel of the BSF, including Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari, for showing exemplary courage by manning forward posts.
He said BSF is enhancing surveillance and defensive measures. “While CIBMS (Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System) has been in place since 2017, the BSF is integrating more advanced technologies in the coming months,” he said.
He described BSF as India’s first line of defence, saying that it encourages farmers along the border to continue agricultural activities. “We ensure their protection and undertake civic action programmes as part of confidence-building measures,” Anand said, adding, “We do not provoke, but will retaliate strongly against any misadventure. Our guard remains up and our vigilance unwavering.”
